In a commentary published by Nature Medicine, Dr. Myron Cohen and Dr. Joe Eron, leaders of the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, identify numerous medical advances originating from U.S. federally funded HIV research. They say the future of HIV research and the U.S.’s scientific leadership depends on bold, sustained action in defense of discovery, investment, and innovation.
U.S. government investment in HIV research, supported by American taxpayers, has opened the door to breakthroughs and treatments for diseases far beyond HIV/AIDS. Cohen and Eron are contributing authors for an editorial that brings awareness to the successes and critical outcomes of investing in HIV research over the past 40 years. It also recognizes that U.S.-funded HIV/AIDS research is responsible for saving millions of lives globally and has solidified the U.S. as a leader in global health.
Science Building on Science
Advances in HIV prevention, treatment and cure research produced added benefits of solving medical mysteries and answering scientific questions in many other disease areas. Lifesaving advances in immunology, cancer therapy, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases can be attributed to groundbreaking findings in HIV research. CAR T-cell therapy, which was initially studied as a potential treatment for HIV, eventually was adapted to train immune cells to attack cancerous cells. Today, CAR T-cell therapies have transformed treatment outcomes and quality of life for blood cancer patients.
Worldwide, practice-changing improvements to treatment and prevention of tuberculosis have been built from U.S.-funded studies in people living with HIV. Additional research revealed that many subclinical TB cases in people living with HIV were undetected, leading to the creation of better diagnostic and control interventions, less toxic drug regimens and vaccine development strategies for TB. Beyond TB, robust HIV research programs have served as a foundation for pandemic preparedness efforts.
Momentum for HIV vaccines and new technologies
Over the past 40 years, U.S.-sponsored HIV research has improved diagnostics, treatment and preventive approaches for people living with HIV. Yet, a cheap and effective HIV vaccine remains necessary to achieve control of the disease in the US and globally.
An estimated 40% of Americans newly diagnosed with HIV are not in populations being targeted for pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. Furthermore, recent statistics show that most children living with HIV globally are not receiving treatment and 30% of people living with HIV globally receive no therapy.
The research investments have pushed forward scientific understanding for an effective vaccine. Current HIV vaccine studies are focused on training B cells to produce a series of antibodies that could broadly neutralize the virus. Beyond HIV, these studies have deepened our scientific understanding of B cell immunology and could lead to vaccines to prevent other types of infections, reductions in metabolic cancers and new approaches to addressing autoimmune diseases.